Completed Speaker & Sub Upgrade in Rivian R1S

[Tbey]

Firstly, thanks to @redantpile for all his posts. Very helpful and motivating. I'm not the posting type but will try to respond. Hope this helps and motivates others.

Short Version:
Rivian R1S(non meridian) sound system is sub par.
Midrange is very muddy and bass is very lackluster.

I had a local shop do my install based on what we read through multiple online forums.

I chose JL for the warmth of sound (Focal too bright for my ears).

JL C3 components front doors.
JL C2 components rear doors.
10" JL TW1 Sub replacing existing passenger trunk sub box (it's not visceral, but enough to fill the void) - *corrected size*
To avoid error LC5i Pro used to convert speaker level inputs from native amp (under drivers seat).
RCA preamps run to 5ch JL amp in spare tire cavity.
All doors and sub cavity deadened with sound skin, needs a little more around sub.
- This also dropped road noise by 5db at 80mph (yes I used a decibel meter)

Left remaining tweeters intact and still get '3D sound'.
It's not gonna match a tuned factory B&O sound system (for example) but it's def elevated significantly from where Rivian left it for us.
Not cheap but worth it.
Sounds great, happy with result.

Enjoy...

-TB

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[redantpile]

@Tbey That's awesome. 5 channel amp, replacing 4 doors and the sub is what I thought of doing as worst case scenario. I'm guessing they ran a 80 amp line to the battery. Curious to see if you have any 12 volt issues with that. Dead battery etc...

 

[Polar]

What JL amp did you install?

 

[iBang]

Omg! I envy you. I am also not happy with my current Meridian system and looking to upgrade. Can you recommend me the shop who did yours if you are in SoCal? I am afraid most of the shop still not familiar with Rivian and will mess up my car.

 

[Rivianready]

Ballpark cost?

 

[Runamok]

Same, cost?

I plan to be doing an upgrade as well. Nice to see some upgrading speakers outside of the sub.

Speaking of, any opinions on the best aftermarket sub? I know "best" is subjective, do you have any thoughts? Did you consider anything other than JL? This forum has also seen the Alpine SWR-T10 installed.

 

[Tbey]

The instagram reel belongs to the shop I used.

It was in a few stages, cost me around $4500 with equipment (the C3s are ~$580 alone) + install and sound deadening.

I've been a JL fan for a while and still appreciate their evolution over the years.
If you're into the search, go to a speaker shop and take a listen. Everyone will have an opinion and more cost doesn't always mean better sound.
The single 10 is good, but if you want it to really hit, you'll need to use a seperate/custom box and prob a second sub - that's what I would do 20 years ago

*Edit* Ended up doing just that, 12" JL sub in their sealed box placed in spare tire cavity.
Way better sound, no more rattle.

JL XD700/5v2 for amp - also has signal detect. We chose a more versatile amp where the team can dial in levels and crossover to try and match retained stock tweeters. Only 300w to sub.

No battery issues - LC5i Pro controls power based on speaker input signal - with this method the downfall is it doesn't consistently power on until audio level is above 7 or 8. Have to see if we can tweak this or modify remote on to a switchable 12v.

Again, much much better.

 

[armchairpistolero]

Thank you. Do you know what the door speakers sizes are?

 

[Iamuwere]

how did you fit a 12" subwoofer in the 10" hole?

 

[hilld]

how did you fit a 12" subwoofer in the 10" hole?

BFH

 

[Iamuwere]

Lol

 

[Batman]

I need to find someone with similar expertise in Dallas.

 

[HeyEllwood]

Damn. Would love to upgrade ours sooner or later. But will wait a few years when I’m not dirt poor 🥸

 

[Tbey]

@Tbey That's awesome. 5 channel amp, replacing 4 doors and the sub is what I thought of doing as worst case scenario. I'm guessing they ran a 80 amp line to the battery. Curious to see if you have any 12 volt issues with that. Dead battery etc...

No 12v issues thus far.
Modified LC5i to remote switch on using switched 12v wire (instead of relying on sensing) - no more turn on delay and can listen at low volumes.

 

[Tbey]

how did you fit a 12" subwoofer in the 10" hole?

You're right, it was 10" initially - modified original thread.

The Rivian 'sub box' is pretty terrible too, we couldn't get rattle under control.
Ended up switching out JL 10 (replaced Rivian sub, unplugged).
Put a JL 12TW3 with factory box down in spare tire cavity *** no more rattle *** and hits way harder. Much cleaner at low volume filling low freq even at casual listening.

Very happy with results, good clean build.

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